Douluo: A Fake God in Peerless

The reason he prepared three second-level soul devices was to test his current limits.

Ran Yuming examined Su Luoheng with great interest: now that he had consumed nearly half of his soul power, could he complete the analysis of the final soul device with what remained?

Although the possibility was slim, he still held onto his expectations.

Half an hour later, at the testing bench.

"Hoo~"

Su Luoheng finally opened his eyes, let out a long breath, and set down the soul device in his hand. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Although there was very little soul power left in his body, he had completed all the analyses.

He was determined to have those five books!

However, it wasn't completely over yet. He picked up the ink pen on the side and began to record the structures and core arrays of the three soul devices, all of which had already been organized in his mind.

After carefully checking them to ensure there were no errors, Su Luoheng walked toward Ran Yuming, who had been waiting for a long time.

"Teacher Ran, please take a look."

Su Luoheng handed over the recorded core arrays, a faint smile hanging on the corners of his mouth. "Student has completed the analysis of all three soul devices. Please verify them."

"You analyzed them all?"

Ran Yuming raised an eyebrow, flipped through the pages a few times, and then put the drawings down.

He truly was a student worth his attention.

He had crafted these three soul devices himself, so with just a single glance, he knew that the core arrays and construction Su Luoheng had analyzed were flawless.

He looked at Su Luoheng, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

"Teacher Ran?"

"Good, good, not bad, very good!"

Ran Yuming looked at Su Luoheng and laughed heartily, his eyes filled with admiration and appreciation. He was determined to take this student, and no one would be allowed to snatch him away!

"Then, about the books..."

Su Luoheng had kept the wager they made in mind the whole time.

The books in Teacher Ran's laboratory were all incredibly valuable, each with its own strengths regarding soul devices. They held great appeal for any soul master, and Su Luoheng was naturally no exception. Now that he had the chance to borrow them, he certainly wouldn't let it slip by.

"You kid~" Ran Yuming was caught between laughter and tears, but he didn't renege on his word. "Rest assured, I haven't forgotten about the books."

"Thank you, Teacher Ran!"

A smile appeared on Su Luoheng's face as he bowed respectfully.

Changing the subject, Ran Yuming's voice suddenly became serious. "However, before that, there is another important matter concerning you."

"Please speak, Teacher Ran." Su Luoheng straightened his expression.

"Do you want to be my student?"

Ran Yuming looked at Su Luoheng, stating his intentions directly without beating around the bush.

"Of course... huh?!"

Su Luoheng was just about to agree when he suddenly froze. The next moment, his eyes widened, wondering if he had just suffered an auditory hallucination.

"You heard me correctly."

Teacher Ran smiled, his expression calm.

In contrast, Su Luoheng's heart was already churning with turbulent waves!

The Teacher Ran before him was an honorary teacher at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Outside, countless fourth-level and fifth-level soul masters were vying to become his disciples.

And now, he wanted to take him as a student?

This sudden surprise left Su Luoheng a bit dazed.

It was as if a giant meat pie had fallen from the sky and smashed him into a stupor.

The weight of this 'surprise' was simply too much.

Seeing Su Luoheng in a daze, Teacher Ran couldn't help but chuckle, asking patiently, "How about it, kid? Will you be my student?"

"Student greets Teacher."

Su Luoheng did not hesitate and immediately paid his respects to Teacher Ran.

His goal in displaying his talent was to gain the academy's attention and cultivation. With the favor of a teacher of such prominent status, what reason did he have to refuse?

Ran Yuming stroked his beard with satisfaction and laughed out loud.

From today on, you are my direct disciple. At the same time, you will enjoy the treatment of our academy's key students, and your monthly benefits will be doubled from the base amount. As for other cultivation resources, as long as you have the strength, I will certainly secure them for you!

"Thank you, Teacher."

Su Luoheng's face lit up with joy, and this time he bowed sincerely.

A soul master's cultivation depends first on talent, and second on resources.

Talent determines the upper limit of what a soul master can achieve.

Resources are equally indispensable during the journey of growth—things like medicinal pills, money, rare materials, and core arrays all provide immense boosts to a soul master.

A year of diligent, solitary cultivation might be easily surpassed by the effects of a single medicinal pill.

The same logic applies to the advancement of soul masters; without rare metal materials and core arrays, progress is arduous.

This is the importance of resources.

Many rogue soul masters are held back by a lack of resources, wasting their prime cultivation years.

Soul masters who receive training from academies, sects, and other major powers do not need to waste unnecessary time; they only need to focus on their cultivation to receive the corresponding resources. However, the prerequisite is that you must demonstrate sufficient talent, proving to them directly that you are qualified to receive prioritized resource allocation.

Therefore, Teacher Ran's words were a promise to Su Luoheng.

As long as he could demonstrate sufficient talent, he would have no need to worry about his future cultivation resources.

Ran Yuming is an honorary teacher at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, and becoming his closed-door disciple would inevitably draw the academy's focused attention, which would be of great benefit to Su Luoheng.

With the talent he had displayed, he would certainly be able to secure prioritized resource allocation from the academy.

And this was exactly what Su Luoheng wanted most.

"Hahaha~"

Having accepted this disciple, Ran Yuming was in an excellent mood.

For him now, fame and status were no longer important; what he cared about most was passing on his lifelong skills, and Su Luoheng's talent for soul skills had piqued his interest.

The more he looked at this disciple, the more pleased he became.

"Luoheng, sit over here." Ran Yuming pulled Su Luoheng to sit down. "Today, your teacher will give you a real lesson on soul guidance!"

His tone was quite bold, clearly showing absolute confidence in his own theories of soul guidance.

"Yes, Teacher."

Hearing this, Su Luoheng quickly sat down respectfully, his expression filled with anticipation.

He had already deeply realized during the morning's soul guidance class that he could truly learn things from Teacher Ran, and he certainly couldn't miss this opportunity for one-on-one instruction.

If nothing else, Teacher Ran was absolutely unique in his approach to soul guidance education.

That single class alone had given him much food for thought.

"..."

Ran Yuming did not explain knowledge related to soul tools; instead, he began to talk to Su Luoheng about soul masters and soul masters.

"Luoheng, do you know the difference between a soul master and a soul master?"

Su Luoheng pondered for a moment before speaking, "Soul masters use their soul skills and martial souls as the foundation, utilizing soul power to unleash powerful combat strength. Soul masters, on the other hand, use soul tools as a medium to channel their soul power. In terms of individual ability, a high-level soul master is stronger than a high-level soul tool, but in terms of lethality, a soul master far surpasses a soul master."

Ran Yuming nodded slightly, quite satisfied with his new disciple's explanation.

"Hmm, not bad. And then?"

"This... that is all the student understands for now."

"Tell me whatever else you think." Seeing the hesitation in Su Luoheng's eyes, Ran Yuming waved his hand with a smile, encouraging him to continue.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Su Luoheng did not hold back and spoke candidly.

"Teacher, most people say that soul masters and soul masters are two different paths—one fights using their own martial soul, while the other fights using soul tools. Everyone, including ourselves, subconsciously divides them into two parts: a soul master is a soul master, and a soul master is a soul master. They are distinct and cannot be conflated. However, the student believes this view is too absolute and one-sided."

"Why?"

Ran Yuming spoke suddenly, a flash of surprise and appreciation crossing his eyes.

Su Luoheng continued, "Both soul masters and soul masters use soul power to gain strength; that is their commonality. Both martial souls and soul tools are mediums for exerting soul power, so why should we be constrained by the limitations of these two identities? The student believes that one should be proficient in both, regardless of whether they are a soul master or a soul master."

"This is just my humble opinion, Teacher. Please critique it." After speaking, Su Luoheng sat quietly to the side.

"Not bad, not bad!"

Ran Yuming's smile deepened as he stroked his long beard and nodded repeatedly. "Very well said! You are truly worthy of being the disciple I chose!"

At Su Luoheng's age, it was rare to have such a clear understanding without being blinded by the power of soul tools. Although the students he had taught before were talented, none of them had such a clear perception of the relationship between soul masters and soul masters!

Ran Yuming felt that he had truly made the right choice in taking this closed-door disciple on a whim.

Soon, Ran Yuming put away his smile.

"Luoheng, you are quite right. Over the years, I have studied a vast number of ancient texts and discovered that in ancient times, soul masters were powerful soul masters even without the amplification of soul tools. We have strayed from the true meaning of the path of the soul master. The path of the soul master is correct, but our direction has been wrong."

"But I don't know when it started—we began to blindly pursue the immense power brought by soul tools, thereby neglecting our own abilities as soul masters. This has led to the continuous degradation of a soul master's inherent capabilities, which persists to this day. Even though the Empire has begun to gradually pay attention to this, the deep-rooted problems make change a long and arduous process."

"I suspect that the issue of soul master capability is the reason why everyone is unable to break through to become a Level 9 soul master."

"A true soul master should be proficient in both."

Speaking of this, Ran Yuming couldn't help but let out a long sigh, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes. In truth, it wasn't just him; many high-level soul masters in the Sun Moon Empire had realized this, but as he said, what could they do even if they knew?

The degradation of martial soul talent was a fundamental flaw, and it was difficult to change in a short period of time.

Moreover, those soul masters were already set in their ways; trying to change them would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"..."

After a moment of reflection, Ran Yuming looked at Su Luoheng, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

If he couldn't achieve it himself, he could cultivate a disciple to do so!

"Luoheng."

"Teacher."

"The fact that you have reached seventeenth-level soul power at such a young age is proof that the quality of your martial soul is extraordinary. Therefore, as my disciple, your foundation as a soul master must not be neglected. I do not expect you to reach the level of those top students at Shrek, but you must at least be on par with an average soul master. Above all, you must never consume the medicinal pills provided by the academy."

"They are not suitable for you; the side effects are severe and will compromise your future potential!"

Pausing for a moment, Ran Yuming warned him with unusual sternness, "I will prepare all the cultivation resources you need, do you understand?"

"Teacher, this student understands."

Su Luoheng nodded earnestly.

Since it concerned his own future growth, he would certainly not ruin his own prospects.

In truth, even without Elder Ran's warning, he would not have consumed those pills, but knowing that Ran Yuming had gone out of his way to remind him, he felt the importance this teacher placed upon him.

"Mm, as long as you understand."

Seeing this, Ran Yuming nodded slightly.

He was one of those in the know regarding the properties of the pills developed by the academy.

These pills were designed to rapidly increase soul power to the level of Soul King or Soul Saint at the cost of sacrificing one's potential.

While soul power was indeed increased, it simultaneously cut off any path to further advancement.